[Review] The Redemption of Callie & Kayden

  From the New York Times bestselling author of The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden comes an emotional new story about two troubled souls sharing one all-encompassing love . . .

The dark secret Kayden has kept hidden for years is finally out. Worse, he's facing charges for battery. The only way to clear his name is for Callie to speak up-something he'll never ask her to do. Instead, he'll do whatever he must to protect her . . . even if it means letting go of the only girl he's ever loved.

Callie knows Kayden is going back to his dark place and desperately wants to save him. But that means facing her greatest fear and admitting her own painful secrets aloud. The thought of breaking her silence terrifies her-but not as much as the thought of losing Kayden forever.

Deep in her heart, Callie knows the time has come for her and Kayden to forget the pain of the past. With the help of her friends Seth and Luke she makes a plan to show Kayden the life they could have. But can she convince him they can make a fresh start together-or is she already too late?    

I read this quite a while ago, and because I’ve been so horrible with reviewing books I’ve read recently, I figured I might as well just go for it. I absolutely loved the first book in this series. The cliff hanger that you get left with in The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden was beyond heart wrenching. I mean, I wanted this book so fiercely. I was hooked and it wouldn’t come out soon enough. Talk about anxiously waiting, I was biting my fingernails off to until I got this book!

“I want to breathe. I want to feel alive again. I don’t want to feel the pain. I want it all back, but it’s gone. He’ll be alright, he has to be.”

This book picks up exactly where the first one left off. Obviously I won’t tell you what is going on… but if you’ve read the first one, and not the second yet – You already know. I had so many questions that I not only wanted… but NEEDED answered from the first novel.  Although I’m pleased that all my burning questions were answered, I was fairly disappointed in this novel. It felt very rushed, and it’s almost like the author just wasn’t that into the story anymore. Now I’m not saying I didn’t like this book, because I did. I could easily give an equally amount of faults as I could compliments.

The characters definitely had some growth in this book, but also had a lot of inner turmoil and anguish to deal with as well as the burdens held by each other. The love in this story was still just as great as in the first, as you can feed on the strength of the bond between Callie and Kayden. The continuation of their bond grows stronger, as it also detours and hits many speed bumps. Two tortured souls trying to find solace in one another is just grounds for an epic love story, which this is.  

“I'm just here,existing at the surface of the water,not quite drowning but not quite able to breathe.” 

I have to say that this book was much darker than the first book, as you learn more about the suffering and deep dark secrets that each one of them is keeping. This story is not one for the faint of heart. It’s bold and dark, with an epic love story twisted in the mix. I think that maybe because I had such high expectations for this book, I felt it was an emotional let-down for me. I honestly wish I had loved this book more than I did. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to read the rest of the stories, even though the next one is about Violet and Luke. I’m still on the fence about the rest of the series.  I really wish I could say more, but I truly just don’t know how I feel about this installment of the series.

“There's this connection, this understand that we are two people who have been fractured, not by ourselves but by someone else and we're doing everything we can to not shatter to pieces.” 

Even though I’ve had a few complaints with the story, I truly did like it overall. The emotional rollercoaster that we all love to ride is still there, and if you’ve read the first one – I definitely recommend reading this installment. Make sure you read The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden first though, otherwise you’ll be completely lost.  This was one of those books where I find it unfortunate that I didn’t love it. I know, it happens… but I mostly love everything I read. Again, I really wish that this installment could have done it for me, but it didn’t. However – I’ll still recommend it. Just because I feel Eh about it, doesn’t mean that you won’t absolutely love it. As I said, it truly is an epic love story with dark moments.